The main character of the book is Tim O'Brien who is also the author. The main conflict in The Things They Carried is the pshycological effect the Vietnam War has on O'Brien. In the beginning, O'Brien talks about how he recieved his letter drafting him into the war. He felt that since it wasn't his war, why should he have to go fight. Then O'Brien talks about how he runs away and tries to cross the border to Canada. While he is thinking about making the jump across, he's afraid of what everyone would think of him. Would they think that he was scared? He couldn't do it, which shows that he really cared about what people thought of him. He cared so much that he went and fought in Vietnam.
Toward the end of the book, O'Brien discusses his adventure back to Vietnam thirty years after the war. He also brought his daughter to let her feel what he felt at the time. At this time, he finds out that it isn't the same Vietnam that it was when he was there. It is peaceful now. The horrible battle field that consumed his friend and partner is now just a meadow. When he visits Vietnam again, you could tell he wasn't just there for a look around. He was there to put his heart to rest. And to the people from that time period, the people that was actually there in Vietnam, it will never be a green meadow. It will never change for the soilders. It will always be the same crap field.
The stories that Tim talks about and their stories all end the same. The story about his friend Ted Lavender, or the story about Lemon end the same. But the way they all died was different and unique. Ted Lavender died from a bullet to the head after releaving himself. Lemon died from a booby-trap that lifted him up and planted himin a tree. The most memorable story for me was how one of his men died from being sucked into a feild full of feces. Then the next day they had to search the whole feild stabing over and over with their guns, hoping to find him. And while this was going on the captin of the team felt this horrible pain of how it was all his fault. The reader could tell how horrible he felt and the pain he was going through. That he should have changed where they set up camp.
Many of the men carried little knicknacks, or something very dear to their hearts. Some carried bibles, some carried pictures, some carried pantyhose, drugs, and letters. But they only carried it to remember the loved ones at home or to help them remember there is a higher power. Some carried things to help them to get through the war, since it was when illegal substance abuse was at its peak. This all depicts America at the time and a correct representation of the soliders which makes the story real and believable.
Setting
The setting in the "The Things They Carried" starts in the fields and jungles of the Vietnam War. Most of the time the days in Vietnam were cloudy and dreary. The author describes the trees, rocks and other surrondings as even talking to the soldiers. The stories told by soldiers described the mountains singing weird music to them as they were on missions. This sometimes resulted in the men losing their minds. The music could have been the soldiers losing their minds or it could have really happened but that will be unknown because there is not such a thing as "true war stories".
Tim O'Brien describes Vietnam as a place you do not want to visit during the war. There were mangled bodies with limbs and eyes missing, dying soldiers and hidden bombs everywhere. The types of bombs that the soldiers had to watch out for were bouncing betties, grenades, and flying mortar shells. Many of the soldiers on O'Briens team were killed by boobie traps. The fields were so bad that the soldiers were afraid to sleep at night thinking they would not wake up. The setting also includes the things the soldiers carried. All soldiers were different in what they carried. They carried things that reminded them of their loved ones and homes. All of them carried weapons that held the fates of other soldiers, food, and camping supplies. One soldier carried a pair of panty hose to remind him of his girlfriend. They also gave him a surge of adrenaline during battle. That was until one day he walked into a booby trap which blew his jaw into his throat.
Towards the end of the book the story takes place in a field of feces. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross has his men set camp in this field of feces. The smell of the field was described as absolutley horrible. The field consisted of everyones feces in the whole country of Vietnam. Soldier Norman Bowker had to let one of his fellow soldiers go as he was sinking into the field of muck. Norman had a hold of the soldier's foot but he could not stand the stinch so he had to let go. At the time he did'nt even care about the soldier dying he just wanted to get away from that completly disgusting smell. This field was described as the most horrible part of the war these men faced.
The main character of the book is Tim O'Brien who is also the author. The main conflict in The Things They Carried is the pshycological effect the Vietnam War has on O'Brien. In the beginning, O'Brien talks about how he recieved his letter drafting him into the war. He felt that since it wasn't his war, why should he have to go fight. Then O'Brien talks about how he runs away and tries to cross the border to Canada. While he is thinking about making the jump across, he's afraid of what everyone would think of him. Would they think that he was scared? He couldn't do it, which shows that he really cared about what people thought of him. He cared so much that he went and fought in Vietnam.
Toward the end of the book, O'Brien discusses his adventure back to Vietnam thirty years after the war. He also brought his daughter to let her feel what he felt at the time. At this time, he finds out that it isn't the same Vietnam that it was when he was there. It is peaceful now. The horrible battle field that consumed his friend and partner is now just a meadow. When he visits Vietnam again, you could tell he wasn't just there for a look around. He was there to put his heart to rest. And to the people from that time period, the people that was actually there in Vietnam, it will never be a green meadow. It will never change for the soilders. It will always be the same crap field.
The stories that Tim talks about and their stories all end the same. The story about his friend Ted Lavender, or the story about Lemon end the same. But the way they all died was different and unique. Ted Lavender died from a bullet to the head after releaving himself. Lemon died from a booby-trap that lifted him up and planted himin a tree. The most memorable story for me was how one of his men died from being sucked into a feild full of feces. Then the next day they had to search the whole feild stabing over and over with their guns, hoping to find him. And while this was going on the captin of the team felt this horrible pain of how it was all his fault. The reader could tell how horrible he felt and the pain he was going through. That he should have changed where they set up camp.
Many of the men carried little knicknacks, or something very dear to their hearts. Some carried bibles, some carried pictures, some carried pantyhose, drugs, and letters. But they only carried it to remember the loved ones at home or to help them remember there is a higher power. Some carried things to help them to get through the war, since it was when illegal substance abuse was at its peak. This all depicts America at the time and a correct representation of the soliders which makes the story real and believable.
Setting
The setting in the "The Things They Carried" starts in the fields and jungles of the Vietnam War. Most of the time the days in Vietnam were cloudy and dreary. The author describes the trees, rocks and other surrondings as even talking to the soldiers. The stories told by soldiers described the mountains singing weird music to them as they were on missions. This sometimes resulted in the men losing their minds. The music could have been the soldiers losing their minds or it could have really happened but that will be unknown because there is not such a thing as "true war stories".
Tim O'Brien describes Vietnam as a place you do not want to visit during the war. There were mangled bodies with limbs and eyes missing, dying soldiers and hidden bombs everywhere. The types of bombs that the soldiers had to watch out for were bouncing betties, grenades, and flying mortar shells. Many of the soldiers on O'Briens team were killed by boobie traps. The fields were so bad that the soldiers were afraid to sleep at night thinking they would not wake up. The setting also includes the things the soldiers carried. All soldiers were different in what they carried. They carried things that reminded them of their loved ones and homes. All of them carried weapons that held the fates of other soldiers, food, and camping supplies. One soldier carried a pair of panty hose to remind him of his girlfriend. They also gave him a surge of adrenaline during battle. That was until one day he walked into a booby trap which blew his jaw into his throat.
Towards the end of the book the story takes place in a field of feces. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross has his men set camp in this field of feces. The smell of the field was described as absolutley horrible. The field consisted of everyones feces in the whole country of Vietnam. Soldier Norman Bowker had to let one of his fellow soldiers go as he was sinking into the field of muck. Norman had a hold of the soldier's foot but he could not stand the stinch so he had to let go. At the time he did'nt even care about the soldier dying he just wanted to get away from that completly disgusting smell. This field was described as the most horrible part of the war these men faced.